A Pakistani court on Saturday acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife of charges of illegal marriage, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said.

An Islamabad District and Sessions Court "dismissed charges" against Khan, a spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party confirmed.

Judge Afzal Majoka announced in court that the "appeals of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are accepted."

But even though the court overturned the ex-premier's conviction for illegal marriage, he remains in jail on charges of inciting riots. A court this week cancelled his bail over accusations he incited riots by his supporters in May 2023.

What is the illegal marriage case about?

Khan, 71, and his wife, Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, were sentenced in February to seven years in prison in an illegal marriage case.

A court found them guilty of violating Islamic law by failing to observe the required interval between Bibi's divorce from a previous marriage and her marriage to Khan.

Khan was hit with several convictions in the days before the February elections. The convictions, in his view, had been orchestrated to prevent his return to power. Those cases have now all been at least partially overturned on appeal.

It was not immediately clear whether Khan and Bibi, both in jail, would be released following Saturday's decision.

Source: DW 

BDST: 1806 HRS, JULY 13, 2024
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